Friends Ben Fry and Phil Pinder first came up with the idea for a wizard-themed business while walking down the Shambles, York’s world-famous medieval street, which draws millions of visitors.
They opened The Potions Cauldron in 2018 on the historic street, making and serving magic-themed soft drinks, before opening the Hole in Wand mini golf experience a few years later.
Regarding opening the business, Phil says:
We wanted to create a wizard-style pub, for kids. We were really aiming for a place that would make kids feel like they were in a magical film.
Since the opening of The Potions Cauldron, the business has gone from strength to strength, with 4 venues in York and several locations now open across the UK, including Edinburgh, Chester and Blackpool, and attracts visitors from all over the world.
The business signed up to the Good Business Charter shortly after the accreditation scheme launched in 2020.
Phil says:
For us, Good Business Charter membership is a badge of honour. Most small and independent businesses like us are already doing the right thing by working to become more sustainable, to be responsible employers and members of our wider communities, and the GBC offers a way to recognise and promote, and further develop that work.
Phil is clear on the benefits that guaranteeing staff a Real Living Wage, one of the 10 components of Good Business Charter membership, has brought to the business:
"We’ve never had any staffing issues - recruiting and retaining great staff has simply never been a problem we’ve faced, which is unusual in the retail and leisure industries, where businesses tend to see a high staff turnover.
“The fact that we pay a fair wage and make this great place to work means that our staff stick around, which means we can invest in their long-term development.
“Our current area manager for York is someone who started with us working on the shop floor and has progressed through the organisation. Having that level of staff loyalty really helps us build as a business and it starts with paying our workers a decent wage.”
The Good Business Charter also requires businesses to make commitments to equality, diversity and inclusion, as well as a commitment to customers.
Phil and his team have been putting these into practice by working to make their venues accessible. Alongside offering relaxed sessions for guests with autism, which are designed to help visitors avoid sensory overwhelm, the business is currently training all staff in welcoming guests with additional needs, including training to become Dementia Friends.
Another key aspect of the Good Business Charter for The Potions Cauldron has been formalising the business’ commitment to sustainability.
Phil explains:
Minimising our impact on the planet is a really important part of our business and often, the sustainable way of doing things makes good business sense, too, so it’s a win-win scenario.
“For example, whenever we take on new premises, we don’t strip them entirely, we try to re-use and recycle existing fittings rather than letting them go to waste.”
Sometimes, Phil explains, fulfilling the Good Business Charter’s sustainability criteria has meant making decisions like using glass bottles rather than plastic for the drinks that The Potions Cauldron manufacture:
“While glass does cost more, it’s much more environmentally friendly than plastic, as there’s no limit to the amount of times a glass bottle can be recycled. It also helps our products feel more premium and adds to the magical feel of our visitor experience.”
One way in which The Potions Cauldron has worked with partners across the city to give back to the local community is through their work supporting care-experienced young people - young people aged 18-25 who are leaving the care system and moving into their own accommodation.
Phil explains that his business wanted to send a clear message to these young people that their city cares about them.
“I first became aware through Twitter of how challenging a time Christmas can be for care leavers - many young people moving into their own accommodation for the first time, without a family support network experience a bleak festive season, on their own without any gifts.”
The Potions Cauldron worked with other businesses in the city to gather over 100 Christmas presents for these young people, including kindles, toiletry sets, and football tickets donated by York City FC - and this support for care-experienced young people is something Phil wants to build on all year-round.
Phil called on other members of York’s retail and leisure sector to join The Potions Cauldron and over 60 other York businesses in signing up to the Good Business Charter:
“To businesses who might be wondering whether the scheme is for them, I’d simply say, why not?”